Introduction

What is C++ ?
C++ is an Object Oriented Programming language developed by Bjarne Stroustrup. Many real-life application systems are written in C++. Its efficiency and flexibility is a great boon while implementing complex systems. It is used to write device drivers and other general purpose system softwares. It is a compiled language and its elegance supports clarity, ease of maintenance & extensibility of softwares developed using C++. It is also widely used for teaching the programming concepts. It is considered to be a middle level language as it has features of both low level and high level language.

About the Tutorial
This tutorial has been prepared for beginners to help them understand generic programming fundamentals as well basic to advanced features of the language. Learning is fun & faster when concepts are demonstrated more using examples rather than lines of text. Same guideline is followed while preparing this tutorial. It has been kept precise yet covering every aspect to help you master the language. The only assumption I make before proceeding further is that you are aware of what a computer program is & what is a programming language.

C++ Development Environment Setup
If you are using windows, just download a C++ compiler like Borland C++, install it & start writing programs. You can simply google for “C++ compiler for windows”. You get an integrated development environment with an editor & compiler. Write your program, save it with .cpp extension, compile & run.
On a Linux platform, GCC needs to installed and most of the times it is installed by default on your system. You can use any editor like emac, vim or gedit. Just type your program, save it with .cpp extension, compile and run.Compile : On the console, type g++ -o my_program my_program.cpp ( assuming your program file is saved as “my_program.cpp ” ).Run : On the console, type ./my_program.